Happiness
by Katsuun97
Summary: ... "Rika... why did you betray me?" Origin of the Witch of Miracles. Rated for blood, Episode 5 Spoilers, plus spoilers to ending of Higurashi.


**One-shot, since I don't have the attention span necessary to make this longer. Or for that matter, better. Also, Featherinne AuAu has been emitted from my story for conveniences sake. **

"**Standard disclaimer here"**

* * *

**Happiness**

_"Nipa~!" _

The ever familiar sound that she uttered as she warmly beamed at the outraged brunette, Keiichi standing before her. Beside her Satako laughed at Keiichi, delicate hand over her mouth in barely suppressed mirth. Rika herself could not contain the smile, it flew from her like a river, carrying a delicious feeling; a genuine emotion with it, one of gratitude and relief. Opposite her from Satako, the currently incorporeal Hanyuu tittered, shyly laughing as Keiichi shouted furiously at the already running Satako. He took after her, and soon the two were out of sight, their shouts and laughter echoing faintly on the wind as Rika and Hanyuu stared after their fading silhouettes. Soon, the pair were alone, standing aside one another on a quiet dirt road on the outskirts of Hinamizawa.

Rika turned her affection to Hanyuu, the final piece that had brought her out of a century of hell. _Freedom. _Never had Rika heard a word so delicious, almost leaving a sweet taste on her tongue as she spelled out the syllables. Takano was gone, deported to some mental facility in Tokyo, all traces of her insidious plot gone from the village that had, many other times, been ruined by the woman. But she, Rika, with the aid of her dearest friends and Hanyuu's power, had broken free of this cycle and brought peace to her life at last. _Freedom. _She licked her lips as she thought of the possibilities, her elation knew no bounds. She could do as she pleased: she could travel the world perhaps, or get a good job and settle down to make a family. It didn't matter to her, the simple thought of now being able to do any of these things brought her excitement. She turned to Hanyuu.

_"Took us quite a period of time, but it seems that we have finally won, no?" _Her voice, normally heavy when addressing Hanyuu alone, maintained it's childish tone, this time genuine with youthful glee that she had not known her life. Hanyuu remained silent. _"I say that we celebrate! We could gather up Satako and the others and go out on the town! We could do anything." _She stressed her last sentence as much as she could. Again, Hanyuu remained unresponsive. Rika grimaced, she was not used to Hanyuu ignoring her. Imperiously sharpening her tone, she waved a hand in the ghostly girls face: _"Hanyuu? You listening to me?"_

Hanyuu grimaced as she came to, her eyes suddenly swiveled to focus onto the hand moving before her face. Her expression was serious, slightly apprehensive; Rika withdrew her hand uncertainly. Hanyuu sighed, her mouth began to move and then it stopped. She paused, seemingly putting careful consideration into her words. Rika silently waited. The air seemed to be still, the normally present breeze had quieted. Finally, Hanyuu spoke.

_"Before that- that is, before we celebrate," _She stumbled with her words; despite her generally timid and awkward nature, she seemed to be struggling even more than usual with her point. _"Before the celebrations occur, there is a matter that you- we must attend to." _Rika furrowed her brow, she hadn't considered there to be any matters of importance. Old habits died hard of course, and Rika steeled herself for the worst. _"You- we must attend to the affair of your previous selves. Of course, I am referring to her. "_

_"Bernkastel."_

_***_

Amongst the kakera that littered the multiverse, Rika and Hanyuu, both incorporeal, came upon the one they sought. It was a quiet world; here Hinamizawa had been deserted before the dam project had ever even begun, and the village of this world stood empty, abandoned of all life except meager weeds. It was here where the magician Bernkastel had taken temporary residence, the solitude of the area shielding her from the eyes of prying mortals.

Rika felt her body become solid in a flash of bluish energy; beside her Hanyuu did likewise. They both stood quietly before the Furude Shrine, a building that seemingly sagged into the Earth, dusty worn wood marking the passage of time since the abandonment of the village. Rika surveyed the sight with dispassion, her heart hardened by a century of torture steeled her against the sight. She had seen far worse. Within the depths of the forlorn temple, something stirred.

She came out presently, dressed as a Furude priestess would normally be, pinkish dress with a white shirt overlaying it and loose, pink cuffs. Her eyes were a shade of violet, Rika found her own eyes echoed in them; they were of similar shade. They stood regrading each other for a time. Bernkastel grinned and gestured for them to follow her inside. They made after her, Hanyuu remaining a step behind Rika as they entered the shrine. Magical effusions tainted the walls of the dilapidated shrine, Bernkastel had been at work for some time apparently. They came to a small room that had been a cupboard in most other kakera, here with a futon crammed unceremoniously into the room. Bernkastel pulled at a dangling light switch, casually sat down and offered the same to her guests. Rika followed but Hanyuu remained nervously at the door frame.

_"So, Hanyuu has told me that you finally found the kakera where the miracle occurs?" _Rika nodded, and Bernkastel smiled. _"Then let me be the first to heartily congratulate you!" _She hugged Rika, Rika gingerly wrapped her arms around the magician. She felt uneasy, she knew what was about to come and knew how it would end. In the door frame, Hanyuu forced a smile, she knew as well. Bernkastel, not seeing either of them; continued to speak.

_"I know this is a bit rude of me to ask, but you know that I have yet to achieve my peace, correct Rika?" _Rika gave a slight nod, Bernkastel continued. _"You of course are not me, and the reverse applies. Think of me as your player, if you were a character in a game." _Rika nodded, she knew all of this already. _"Lambdadelta is the one who consigned you to this horrible fate by toying with that of the unfortunate Miyo Takano. I of course was born of your desperation and enlisted Hanyuu here," _here, she nodded at the silent figure still standing apart from them. _"Well, now that you have finally freed yourself with my help, I suppose you know what I want now?"_

Bernkastel beamed at them, she assumed that they would agree with her offer. Rika exchanged glances with Hanyuu, neither wished to speak. Rika jerked her head at Bernkastel, Hanyuu shook her head. A similar gesture, more forceful, only made Hanyuu shake her head harder. Rika sighed, as usual Hanyuu was useless when it cam to delicate matters such as these. She would need to handle it on her own.

_"Bernkastel," _Rika began gingerly; making her voice as gentle as possible, _"We- Hanyuu and I, are grateful for your aid." _She paused, unsure on how to proceed. Audibly swallowing, she continued, _"But... unfortunately, we can't take your offer- that is your plan to have us help you find your happiness." _Bernkastel nodded eagerly for a split second, then the full meaning of Rika's words hit her. She froze, sputtered. The turn of events seemed to have shocked her into silence.

_"But..." _Bernkastel uttered, she glanced from Hanyuu to Rika and back again. _"But I thought that we... I was..." _She trailed off, nervously picking at one of her cuffs. Rika and Hanyuu traded glances again, Hanyuu seemed to be on the verge of crying, her eyes moist; she turned away. Rika herself felt sick to the core for what she was doing. The girl before her reminded her of a chick torn from its mother, helpless, confused, looking for somebody; anybody to save her. Nevertheless, Rika relentlessly continued:

_"It is not that we do not wish to help," _Rika hastily said. _"Hanyuu and I talked it over, and we agreed that-" _Rika stopped. She could find no way to say what came next without sounding callous, so she continued, with some difficulty: _"Hanyuu is tired- that is to say, she can no longer keep up the search for new kakera. Thus, we have agreed that... well, we have agreed that it will simply be too much effort on our parts to aid you..." _Her words died in her throat, even to herself she sounded heartless. Bernkastel simply sat, making an incoherent noise every now and then, but otherwise remaining still. Back turned to them, Hanyuu silently wept; Rika felt her own heart heavily beating.

_"But... I was once you!" _Bernkastel choked out as she began to breathe heavily. _"I helped you, I brought you from the deepest pit of hell!" _Her voice was constricted, she seemed to be restricting fury with extreme difficulty. Rika nodded slowly.

_"I know that, and I am eternally grateful for your aid," _Rika tried to grasp one of Bernkastel's hands, the blue-haired witch shied away, a wounded expression on her face. _"You must understand, Hanyuu and I have worked hard to achieve this one peace, we both agree that to help you find your peace is beyond either of us." _A stifled sob from Hanyuu. _"We are not trying to be selfish, we just-"_

_**"But thats just it!" **_Bernkastel interjected, a cry of fury that cut through Rika's words and left the girl herself stunned. Bernkastel seemed to have lost control, her eyes were wide, her mouth open and sharp fangs glimmering eerily in the light of the room. Her brow was crumpled, her eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. Her expression was livid, and Rika fell prone in shock. _**"You ARE being selfish, you ARE!" **_Her shout echoed throughout the room, Hanyuu had fallen silent and Rika simply lay there on the futon, stunned by Bernkastel's sudden outburst. Bernkastel struggled to maintain her composure, her face become stony.

Rika slowly pulled herself to a kneeling position, keeping a weary eye on Bernkastel for further reactions. Bernkastel said nothing, she seemed to have shocked herself with her outburst. She merely sat there, staring with a sullen face at her counterpart. Rika herself couldn't speak, her throat seemed to have sealed itself and only dry air came out of her mouth. Hanyuu slowly turned to face the pair, her face was red and splotchy from her recent cry, but she breathed deeply and tried to address the witch.

_"Please understand Bernkastel. I- no we, would help you if we could but..." _She trailed off. Bernkastel remained still. Hanyuu sought Rika's eyes, Rika shrugged and made a faint gesture towards the door. Hanyuu looked from Bernkastel to Rika, then nodded. It seemed that there was nothing more they could say. Heavily, slowly, Rika drew herself to a standing position. She felt the weight of Bernkastel's glare resting squarely upon her as she quietly shuffled to the door. There Hanyuu waited, sadly gazing upon the lonely magician that sat still on the futon, creases freakishly gone as if Rika and Hanyuu had never even set foot upon it. _We already have our happiness. We don't want to lose it... even for you."_

_"Wait." _Rika was at the door. The utterance was short, almost muttered, but Rika managed to catch it. She turned to face Bernkastel, and their eyes met. Bernkastel's eyes were shimmering, almost desperate with emotion. Rika tried to look away, to blink even, but she simply could not. Bernkastel's lips moved, and the sound reached her ears. Rika felt her heart tear ever so slightly as the word registered.

_"...please." _

Rika felt her eyes brim over with tears, she shut them to avoid Bernkastel's pathetic gaze. She turned to run, and almost immediately, she and Hanyuu were gone, memories on the faded wind. Her last words echoed through the still air of the room:

_"I'm sorry..."_

Bernkastel simply stood there, staring at the now empty spot where Rika had once been, now empty. Her heart felt faded, a stone that sat motionless in her breast. Vaguely, knowing the futility of the effort, she stood up, as if to chase after the long gone pair. She took a step.

And then she heard the cackle behind her.

***

For centuries after Rika left her, Bernkastel tried her absolute hardest to not hate the girl. She never dwelt on thoughts of what adventures the probably long dead Rika had embarked on; what friendships she had made and loves she had felt. No, regardless of the horrible torture she suffered at the hands of the sadistic Lambdadelta, she continued to live her life without dwelling on what could have been. She understood Rika and Hanyuu's decision, the risk involved with trying to navigate the kakera sea for her own happiness, especially given Hanyuu's weakness at the time. She had no resentment toward the two.

Thats what she told herself, anyway.

Eventually, she discovered the full extent of her power and was crowned Witch of Miracles by the Witch's Senate. With this newfound power, she ultimately outmaneuvered Lambdadelta and fled into the sea of kakera. The girl was nothing if not persistent however, and she tracked Bernkastel down no matter how far she fled and forced her into yet another game in which Bernkastel would suffer, be cast down, find her miracle, and ultimately win. Again and again the cycle repeated, and soon Bernkastel's heart grew cold with the accumulated pain and disappointment of centuries of bitter suffering at the hands of the Witch of Certainty.

Bernkastel grew crueler, her technique grew less humane as she simply stopped caring. She would occasionally attempt to justify her cruelty, but she grew callous to the suffering of others, indeed she began to enjoy it. In fact, she even knew that her excuse was weak at best; that what she had suffered gave her no right to inflict torture upon others, but she ceased to think like this. Instead, she simply reveled in sadistic delight; entire worlds crushed under her heel, the dead and damned cursing her as they were dragged into Hell. Witches grew to fear her along with Lambdadelta, and Bernkastel couldn't blame them. She was a shadow of her former self.

She was a shadow of Rika. But of course, she tried her hardest to avoid thinking along these lines.

Now Bernkastel was engaged in a game with Beatrice, Endless Witch over the fate of a group of humans on the island of Rokenjima. Of course, Lambdadelta had tracked her down, as always, and made the game all the more harder for the Witch of Miracles. Her previous piece had been sacrificed to further her own plans, and Bernkastel had taken the opportunity to seize a new one from the game board.

She stood now at the railing of the upper deck of a cruise line, the salty wind stirring he hair into a tangled mess behind her. Directly behind her, Erika Furudo; a young blue-haired girl stood, a vague smile evident on her face as she mulled over the words just given to her by the witch. Her dress fluttered as she approached the railing, casually leaning against it as she addressed Bernkastel.

_"I'll admit, your proposition is interesting," _Her voice was animated, she didn't hide her excitement even remotely. _"The whole witches story is less then believable, but I don't really care. If I get a chance to solve one of the greatest mysteries in the world..." _She sighed happily, turned to face Bernkastel and beamed. Bernkastel offered nothing in return, this proposition was strictly business and she had no personal obligation to the girl. As their eyes met, Bernkastel idly scanned her face; the pale skin, blue hair, slender frame... a face flashed in her mind, a face that she hadn't visualized for a long time...

No. She banished the thought from her mind. Rika was long dead, a mere mite of dust lost in the wind! Erika swilled from a cocktail glass. The image of Rika drowning herself in wine as Hanyuu helplessly looked on. Bernkastel shook her head, hair splayed around her face as she tried to cast out the thought from her mind. Erika stared, she lightly set her glass on a nearby bench then seriously turned to Bernkastel.

_"Are you alright?" _Bernkastel snapped her eyes to the girl; their gazes level, Bernkastel shook her head, this time using restrained movements to avoid the semblance of insanity. Erika nodded, and turned her back to Bernkastel again as she looked out over the railing, eyes fixated on the distant horizon. It was with contentment that she said, _"Just a sight like this makes you so happy, you could do something stupid without thinking, right?" _Bernkastel didn't answer, Rika's image still clouded her thoughts. The more she tried to cast the phantasm out, the more entrenched the image was into her head. Erika continued on, seemingly oblivious to Bernkastel's troubles, _"So peaceful... nipa~..."_

Clear as daylight, as if it had only just happened, one simple memory blossomed into Bernkastel's mind. A shouting brunette, a laughing blond._"Nipa~..."_

Without warning, without thinking Bernkastel's fist balled up and crashed into Erika's cheek. She staggered under the blow, rent blood freely spilling from her mouth along with a single tooth, which flew across the deck and landed with a pathetic plop in one of the nearby pools. Her form collapsed to the deck, blood splattering in an arc from the railing to where her head lay, weakly clutched at by an impotent hand. Bernkastel hovered over the prone girl like a wraith, her face was contorted into one of supernatural hatred. The image of Rika swam before her eyes, Rika, who had once known her. Rika, who had once _been _her.

Rika, who had once betrayed her.

_"You damn girl. You think you can get away with that?" _Her foot shot out, Erika cried out as Bernkastel's shoe slammed into her stomach, she choked out blood. Her eyes weakly turned to meet Bernkastel's a silent plea escaped her blood stained lips. In her mind, all Bernkastel saw was Rika, leaving her that one summer day in Hinamizawa and damning her to an eternity of torture. Her foot struck again and again, Bernkastel punctuating each blow with a syllable.

_"You- think- you- can- leave- me- like- that?" _Erika was visibly crying now, saline tears that trailed her face and left red splotches on her cheek. Tears and blood unceremoniously mixed at the corner of her mouth, her eyes were moist, pathetic. Rika's moist eyes looked up at Bernkastel, her last gaze at Bernkastel before she had left her. Bernkastel dropped to the deck and gripped Erika's wrist, forcing her to a standing position as the girl continued to silently weep.

_**"You think you can betray me?" **_Her voice broke, a fist cracked Erika's nose and sent her to the deck again, a bloody, weeping mess of disheveled hair. Bernkastel looked upon the sobbing girl, her eyes dancing with fury, she was half tempted to summon her furniture and end the girl's existence for good. But no, she still needed the girl for her sleuthing ability. Instead, she struggled to master her temper, picking at her cuffs as she had once done in the past, taking slow, heavy breaths. Slowly, the image of Rika began to fade, piece by piece, until only her eyes, still as violet as she remembered them to be, remained. Bernkastel watched them fade and a tear came to her eye. No. Not here, not before anybody could she show weakness.

_"I find your behavior... detestable..." _The words came out restricted, barely audible, her cold tone sounded obviously forced. _"I recommend you make yourself scarce, or you will beg me to do this to you by the time I am done with you." _Erika twitched, she made as if to lift herself into a standing position, then her strength gave out and she fell back into her own pool of blood. _"I do not care if you become a cruel monster, but do not act like this again..." _She trailed off heavily, sighing as she watched Erika struggle in her own blood. Bernkastel turned her back callously to the writhing figure and faded into the sea of kakera.

It wasn't until she was safely in her own realm where she began to weep.

***

Rika lay in a bed, Hanyuu occupying a lone stool set to one side. Rika smiled at the former god, Hanyuu returned the gesture, the corners of her mouth wrinkling as she did so. The pair were now old, both in their 60's and Rika's drinking habits had finally caught up to her. The bed she was in was the sterile, white-sheeted bed of a hospital, the room they were in was an intensive care unit. Various catheter lines ran into her body, and she was conscious by only the thinest of threads, unable to make even the slightest noise from her throat. Hanyuu had reddish eyes, she had been crying in intervals for the past three days, since the ambulance had first brought Rika from the shrine to a hospital in Okinomiya, Hanyuu having found her unconscious after having suffered what would be diagnosed as a stroke.

Doctors noted that her old age and alcoholic tendencies severely lowered her chances of surviving the debacle. Already, Rika could feel her strength fade. Her vision was weak, she could only barely visualize the room they were in. She knew that her life was hanging by a thread, and she felt that her death would come soon. Hanyuu had called Satako and Keiichi, though they had to commute from the city, hopefully they would be here soon. Mion had brought most of the children of their nakama out of the country on vacation, Shion, Rena, and Satoshi had all died of natural causes previously.

After Rika had left Bernkastel, she had been in shock for a lengthy period of time. Depression had plauged her through most of her adolescence, despite her best efforts, she found it hard to enjoy her life with the knowledge that she had betrayed Bernkastel. Her friends had been unable to snap her out of her melancholy, Shion and Satoshi would ultimately marry and leave the country. It wasn't until the wedding of Mion and Keiichi that she finally snapped out of her brooding depression and began to enjoy life in earnest. Bernkastel still weighed heavily in her consciousness, but she only thought of this, her lowest moment, in the darkest of her dreams in the middle of the night. Rika traveled the world as she had planned to, she had seen Europe and attended a prestigious university in England for a degree in psychology.

Returning to Japan, she had settled in Hinamizawa along with her childhood friend Satako, the duo taking over the Irie Clinic once Dr. Irie retired. Keiichi and Mion established a successful international chain of art galleries, though they still had the Sonozaki Compound in Hinamizawa where they would host reunions every summer. Rika had ultimately fallen in love with and wed Satako, and they adopted a child from an orphanage, ironically the one that Miyo had herself grown in. Hanyuu had remained with her through all these years, her closest friend and confidant, occasionally giving her counsel when Bernkastel cropped up in her nightmares. The two were the only people in this world who knew of Bernkastel, and they never intended to tell a soul.

Rika couldn't speak, so she turned her thoughts inward. Moments flashed before her eyes, Keiichi and Mion's wedding, the loss of her virginity to Satako, happy moments together with her friends. As these moments, good and bad alike, passed, she found the image of Bernkastel to remain even as she sifted through all of these memories. Rika had left on the verge of tears, indeed she had been crying for days following what she had done. She had even tried to return to Bernkastel, but cutting her ties with the witch had permanently stripped both Hanyuu and herself of her power and they had no way of navigating the kakera sea to find the magician.

With remorse, she remembered how they had left Bernkastel, a truly desperate and pathetic expression on her face. Rika had left with an apology, but it had been, at best, a weak gesture. How she wished that she had been able to part properly with the witch. For that matter, how she wished that she could have helped the poor girl. In her mind, she wondered if Hanyuu and herself could have saved Bernkastel from a horrible fate. Would she have gained her happy ending? Would they have brought peace to her life?

Hanyuu stirred from her vigil, Satako and Keiichi had finally arrived. Rika did not notice, her vision was too vague to make out much not within immediate range of her eyes. Bernkastel floated into and out of her thoughts, strangely enough, Rika could no longer recall her features beyond her eyes. Their eyes had been of similar shade, a purplish iris. When had they met last? A lone summer day, Satako and keiichi running into the glare of the sun, Hanyuu and Rika left behind. Rika would love to think that Bernkastel had been with there the whole time.

_"Bernkastel..." _Panic around her that she couldn't see. She was flat lining, her friends were in a frenzy of desperate calls, for doctors, for their dying friend. Rika heard none of it. Instead, as her vision began to black out, she saw Bernkastel as she remembered, a blue haired girl in a miko dress. She wore a rare smile, looking after Hanyuu and Rika as they playfully laughed. Perhaps she had made the situation up, but she wanted to see Bernkastel happy, even if she never truly had been. Perhaps that was vain, cruel even, but at the end of the day, she still loved Bernkastel and still regretted the decision she had made, even up to now. She just wished she could see the girl happy.

_"Bernkastel... forgive me..."_

_***_

Losing hurt, or in the case of Bernkastel, was fatal. A blue scythe hovered over her forehead, tip glimmering dangerously against her skin. Erika, wielding the scythe, had a dark, vindicative look on her face; behind her, Battler and Beatrice remained silent, watching. So they were willing to let her die, Bernkastel thought. She honestly wasn't too surprised, given all she had inflicted upon the three that now held her life in their hands.

Her defeat had been absolutely crushing to say the least. After Erika was destroyed in the sixth game, Bernkastel had still been assured of her victory over Lambdadelta, as she always was. Battler had taken the title of game master, but Bernkastel worried little. As long as her chances of winning were slight, even 0.01%, she could still achieve victory through a miracle, and she planned to do this as many times as it took to take her victory. But she hadn't counted on Battler's admittedly impressive persistence.

He had done the impossible, and had revived the dead Beatrice through sheer determination and magical power. Even then, Bernkastel still had a small chance to win, and a few more games passed in deadlock. But then, the human made an interesting move: he revived Erika. The girl, fearful and resentful toward the witch that had forced her into stifling servitude, had turned against Bernkastel almost immediately; again, Bernkastel couldn't blame the girl. What she had done was understandably wrong, but again, Bernkastel hadn't cared. and now her actions were coming back to haunt her. The three together had put Bernkastel's chances to zero exactly. Her powers were disabled, her chance gone; and a formidable alliance of magical beings now bore down upon her.

Lambdadelta died first, skewered by the Stakes of Purgatory when she tried to flee. Bernkastel had fled successfully, covered by the Eiserne Jungfrau. Battler, Beatrice, and Erika pursued her into the kakera sea, and ultimately cornered her; without bitterness, Bernkastel noted the irony in that they had confronted her over the deserted Hinamizawa that she had once occupied so many millennium ago. A blast of power from Beatrice sent her crashing into the ruined Furude Shrine, the dilapidated building utterly collapsed under the force of her impact, after the dust cloud cleared, Bernkastel was left exposed amongst the rubble, feebly stirring. It was here where Erika had her now, scythe hanging perilously close to her exposed head.

Bernkastel supposed it was ironic that her life end here, it was here that she had figuratively died when Rika had left her. Rika. Here, at the end; Bernkastel couldn't help but reminisce on her less than tranquil relationship with the girl. She stirred up a whole plethora of emotions in Bernkastel at once; love, regret, hatred. But in the end, how did Bernkastel truly feel about Rika? The girl that she had once been inseparable from, almost literally in fact; had ended up giving up on her and letting her die. Of course, just because Rika got her happy ending, she could utterly ignore her own! The girl was a brat, a selfish, impudent little-

Rika...

Did she honestly hate the girl? A memory of a time long past, a time that bitter old Bernkastel had not even tried to recall for such a long time. She had been wearing the dress of a Furude priestess, beaming contentedly after Rika and Hanyuu, running cheerfully as they faded into the kakera sea. This had been one of the first incarnations of Hinamizawa, before Rika and Bernkastel had both been embittered by their century of torture at the hands of Takano. Of course, Rika had gotten her happy ending in the end. Not so much for herself of course, millennium of torture had awaited her for her efforts.

Had it really been torture? Looking back, Bernkastel recalled the pleasure she had taken in her sadistic games. Wrong as it was, Bernkastel had earned an ending of sorts. And could she blame Rika? In the end, Bernkastel simply didn't know. Her feelings were conflicting, she was torn by a desire to personally find and throttle the girl, and another to find the girl and hug her in a dramatic and tear jerking fashion. Of course she could do neither now, as Erika muttered some oath or another under her breath and began to raise her scythe to deal the final blow; but it was the thought that mattered.

As the scythe reached the apex of its arc, Bernkastel found herself picturing Rika. She was different, she appeared to have aged significantly. Her breasts had obviously been impressive as a young adult, Bernkastel smiled as she remembered Rika's oath to be well endowed when she grew up. Her hair was a ghostly white, cropped short, her face riddled with wrinkles and her skin papery and dry. Bernkastel was surprised, perhaps this was an apparition? Around this Rika, figures ran around in a panic, with a start, Bernkastel realized that they were friends of Rika; Hanyuu, Satako, and Keiichi. It couldn't be possible, she thought, for such an event to happen. This had occurred veritable eons ago, how would this scene, of all things appear to her?

A miracle, perhaps.

Rika smiled, she seemed to mouth something even as her body surrendered it's life force, even as her friends clutched and cried impotently at her. Bernkastel stared, she simply couldn't believe it: the girl was talking _to _her!

_"Bernkastel... forgive me..."_

Erika mouthed something, Bernkastel caught something about 'sins of the past'. Bernkastel didn't respond, she simply remained stunned, unable to think. Rika had remembered. And she had made a miracle occur. _Just _to mask for Bernkastel's forgiveness. Or perhaps Bernkastel was being sentimental, perhaps her impending death had caused her to have a sudden burst of altruism and understanding.

It didn't matter. For all she cared, Rika could have hated Bernkastel to the end and have summoned a miracle just to cuss at the witch. But this was _her _happy ending. And Bernkastel would like to have thought that in the end, Rika had cared for her enough to do the impossible. And as the scythe descended, as it split her head open and dashed blood and brain onto the dusty rubble of the Furude Shrine, as Bernkastel's soul was dragged down into the depths of Hell, a last sentence escaped the now deceased Witch of Miracles:

_"I forgive you..." _She openly beamed.

_"Nipa~!"_

* * *

**Hn. I don't think that came out as well as I had hoped it would, but I'm too tired to care.**

**Review if you wish, and thanks for reading.**


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